San Francisco Giants pitcher Jakob Junis, left, talks with San Francisco Giants catcher Blake Sabol during the bottom of the fourth inning at Loan DepotPark in Miami on Tue Apr 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

Giants Lose Fifth in a Row to Miami 4-2

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday evening the San Francisco Giants (5-11) continued their series with the Miami Marlins (10-8) and dropped their fifth in a row 4-2 at LoanDepot Park in Miami. The Giants the night before on Monday lost 4-3 to the Marlins after taking an early lead in that game leading 3-0 but failed to score for the rest of the game. The Giants couldn’t get any offense going against the Marlins on Tuesday night. The Giants have not won a single game on this current road trip. They continue to score early but cannot hold the lead.

As the Giants have seen lately the Giants took an early lead in this game. Mike Yastrzemski hit a two-run home run for the early 2-0 lead.

The Marlins would cut the Giants lead in half in the third inning. Jon Berti hit a sacrifice fly and Jacob Stallings scored. The Giants would now try to not only protect their lead but add to that lead.

Miami broke the game open in the fourth inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a go-ahead three-run homer taking a 4-2 lead. The Giants had again given up the lead and failed to score for the rest of the game. The final was 4-2. This loss would hand the Giants a fifth in a row.

San Francisco is in a bad way right now. Not much went right in this game. The Giants starting pitcher Alex Wood was forced to leave the game with a left hamstring strain after only 2 2/3 innings. This was a real blow especially since Wood was having a good start giving up only one hit, one run and striking out three.

Consistency has been an issue and leaving runners stranded is another problem. San Francisco has also been struggling with strikeouts. Ten times this season the Giants have struck out ten or more times. Injuries have also hit the Giants. Mitch Haniger has an oblique issue, Joc Pederson with a wrist injury, Austin Slater a hamstring and Luis Gonzalez with back issues.

While these injuries do not excuse what is happening on the field, a healthy squad is certainly what every team would like to see.

The Giants J.D. Davis had 3 hits and Wilmer Flores had two in this game. The Giants had seven total hits but San Francisco left six runners stranded in this game. The losses are mounting and it is so frustrating for the team. It is early in the season but they are certainly setting a concerning precedent.

Tuesday the Giants will try to avoid the sweep in game three. Alex Cobb (0-1 ERA 3.14) will be on the mound for San Francisco while Trevor Rogers (1-2 ERA 4.20) will get the nod for Miami. First pitch is scheduled for 10:10 AM.